Eight comments

The site’s first triple, and my personal favourite. Fingers crossed that I’ve done the ABC correctly - it’s not something you do every day. Cross rhythms and bowing for the fiddlers seems to be really important in these tunes. I know nothing about bowing, but I’ve tried to include phrase marks and staccato to give an idea of how it’s supposed to sound.

This tune is often played in G and sometimes also F because of the tuning of the Northumbrian pipes, but a lot of people play it in A because it goes nicer on the fiddle.

Take it at about 120 beats/min as you would an average speed reel, so it ends up being like a reel with an extra half bar and lots of crotchets. It should have a lively, lilting feel to it, with only a very slight swing (like a reel and unlike a hornpipe).

This tune has personal significance for me since I was born in Alnwick and went to high school there, so I am a "Lad of Alnwick" myself. Alnwick is not pronounced "Oln-wick", but "An-ick". It’s a small market town in Northumberland, and its castle has often featured in films, e.g. Harry Potter (Alnwick Castle is his school).